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Ukraine’s military claims Russian air defenses are helpless against Western-made cruise missile attacks. Photo/REUTERS
KYIV – Air Force Ukraine on Sunday said air defense Russia helpless against Kyiv’s attacks using Western-made cruise missiles.
“We have received the weapons we have been waiting for for a long time. This is a cruise missile. The enemy was unable to shoot down these missiles despite its formidable anti-aircraft defense, which has ‘no analogues,’” Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat was quoted as saying by the Ukrainian state news agency; Ukrinform, Monday (25/9/2023).
“Presumably, they managed to down some of these missiles, but, as we saw, our missiles penetrated their defenses, and Crimea, which is armed with an air defense system, cannot cope with Western-made cruise missiles,” Inhat said.
That, he says, is why Ukraine expects more such missiles to come from the West—especially from Germany, France and Britain.
“And American ATACMS are already ballistic missiles—they will help us change the situation on the front lines significantly. And with the arrival of Western-made fighters, the story will be very different,” Inhat said.
Ukraine has long wanted strong air defenses to protect against Russian air attacks and be able to return fire.
In August, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed that Ukraine’s defenses were not yet capable of protecting its entire territory from Russian attacks.
Also in August, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said he asked the US to provide Ukraine with ATACMS long-range missiles in a phone call with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Furthermore, Ihnat said: “There is news that Germany will also hand over sea surface drones, and other weapons will also arrive. And best of all is our Neptune missile, which performs quite effectively. And the F-16s carrying Harpoons show up, the Russian ships won’t do anything in the Black Sea at all.”
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